c/blacksmiths

Warning: My old coal forge almost burned down the shed last week

I was working late in my backyard shop in Bellingham, trying to finish a set of tongs. The firepot had a small crack I'd been ignoring for months. Last Tuesday, a hot coal fell right through onto the dry wood floor. I had to dump my whole quench bucket to stop it. Anyone else had a close call with an old forge setup?

My old forge blower gave out halfway through a Damascus billet

It was a Champion 400 I got from a guy in Toledo, been running strong for almost eight years. I was at welding heat on a 120-layer stack, and it just... stopped. Had to pull everything out and let it cool, totally ruined the weld. Anyone know a good source for replacement motors that won't cost more than the forge?

Just read that a single medieval suit of armor could take over 800 hours to make

I was looking at a book on armor from the Met museum and it said a full plate harness for a knight wasn't just one person's work. A master armorer might need a whole team, and the whole process from start to finish could be 800 to 1000 hours. That's like working a full time job for six months straight on one suit. It really makes you think about the scale of the craft back then compared to how we work now. Has anyone here ever tried to make a single piece of historical armor and tracked their time?

Had to choose between a new anvil or a new forge blower last month

My old hand crank blower was dying and my anvil face was pretty beat up. I had $700 saved and could only fix one problem. I went with the new blower, thinking a steady fire was more important right now. Well, forging a leaf on a dented anvil last week was like trying to stamp metal on a golf ball. The leaf looked like abstract art. Has anyone else had to pick between two big tools and ended up making weird art by accident?

I switched from a cheap hardware store anvil to a 70lb NC Tool anvil for my scroll work

I was making a set of decorative brackets and the hammer bounce on the old one was killing my arm after about an hour. The new one is so solid it feels like the metal moves under the hammer instead of fighting it. Has anyone else made a tool upgrade that just made the work feel completely different?

Overheard a guy at the scrap yard say he never quenches railroad spikes

He was picking through a pile and told his buddy he just lets them cool in the air. I tried it on a spike I was turning into a bottle opener last week. The steel stayed a lot easier to work with for the scroll work, and it still hardened up fine for the hook part after a second heat. Anyone else skip the water or oil for certain projects?

Had a big crack show up in a custom knife blade after heat treat last week. Do you try to salvage it or just scrap the piece?

PSA: I keep seeing people use a cold chisel on high carbon steel without annealing first

I was at a meet in Knoxville last month and watched three different smiths try to cut a piece of 1095 with a cold chisel, only to have it skate off or chip the edge. They were all surprised when I told them to heat the steel to a dull red and let it cool in the forge ashes first. How many of you actually anneal before doing any major cutting or shaping on hard stock?

My grandpa told me to always quench in used motor oil, not new

He swore it made a better hamon line on blades. I tried it on a camp knife last month and the temper line was way more defined. Anyone else have an old family trick that actually worked?

Rant: Overheard a guy at the scrap yard say he never wears gloves while grinding.

Honestly, he was bragging about the 'feel' and said he's never had a serious injury in 15 years. Ngl, it made me think about how dangerous that kind of talk is for new smiths who might copy it. What's the worst grinder mishap you've seen or heard about?

Serious question, has anyone else tried forging with old railroad spikes from the yard?

I grabbed about a dozen spikes from a pile near the old tracks in Springfield last month, thinking they'd be decent steel for practice. Heated one up to a bright orange and started working it into a simple knife blank. The metal moved weird, like it was fighting me, and after quenching in canola oil it developed a crack right down the center. Turns out, a lot of those spikes are just low-carbon iron, not the tool steel I assumed. I wasted a good three hours on that project. What other common scrap metal have you guys tried that ended up being a total letdown?

Unpopular opinion: a good old coal forge beats a gas one for real control

I ran a propane forge for about two years because everyone said it was cleaner and easier. Last fall, I finally built a simple coal forge in my shop in Knoxville. The difference is night and day. With coal, I can see the exact color and heat in the fire, and I can move the metal around to hit specific spots. The gas forge just heats the whole piece evenly, which is bad for things like drawing out a taper where you need a soft heat gradient. I can get a much sharper, more local heat with coal, and it costs me about half as much to run. Anyone else make the switch back and find they have way more control over their work?

My old power hammer clutch gave out mid-project last Thursday

I was working on a big leaf spring knife, about 3 hours into the draw, when the drive belt just started slipping. The clutch plates on my 50 pound Anyang were totally worn down. I mean, the thing is from the 90s, so maybe it's just me but I should have seen it coming. Had to stop everything, order new friction discs online for about 80 bucks, and wait 4 days for shipping. Ended up finishing the blade with a hand hammer, which was a serious workout. Anyone have a good source for older power hammer parts, or should I just start machining my own replacements?

Hot take: You don't need a $2000 power hammer to make good Damascus

I keep seeing folks at the local guild meetings in Springfield act like they're stuck until they can afford a massive machine. I made my first decent billet with a 4lb cross peen and a striker, just like they did for centuries. It's more about consistent heat and clean folds than raw power. What's the simplest tool you've used to make something you're proud of?

Talked to a museum curator about old forge marks

I was at the state history museum last week, and the curator saw my shop shirt. She showed me a 1700s axe head and said, "The maker's mark isn't just a signature, it's a promise it won't fail." I've always just stamped my initials, but it made me think about the weight of that promise. How do you guys think about your maker's mark today?

Saw a weird old forge setup at a farm auction near Lancaster

It had a hand crank blower hooked up to a car battery with jumper cables, and the whole thing was sitting on a stack of cinder blocks. Has anyone ever tried a portable power source like that for a demo forge, or is it just asking for trouble?

My old hammer handle finally gave out after two years, so I made a new one from hickory and the swing feels totally different

Just had a forge weld fail on a custom gate hinge at the worst time

I was in my shop last Thursday trying to finish a set of heavy hinges for a client's garden gate. The fire was perfect, the steel was clean, but when I pulled the pieces from the forge and set the weld, it just didn't take. I heard that dull thud instead of a good stick. The whole billet split right at the joint. I had to cut the ruined section out, re-prep the ends, and start the heat cycle over from scratch, which added about two hours to the job. Has anyone else had a weld fail when you were sure everything was set up right? What do you check first?

I know everyone says to always wear a full leather apron, but that heat wave last August changed my mind...

I used to think a cheap 2x72 grinder was fine, but my buddy's variable speed unit changed my mind completely.

A guy at the county fair asked me to make him a solid gold horseshoe.

He was totally serious, offered me $500 for the job, and got upset when I told him that's not how any of this works, so what's the weirdest request you've ever gotten?

I think everyone is wrong about using a coal forge for Damascus

Three years ago at the big meet in Springfield, I saw a guy make a perfect pattern weld with a gas forge. Everyone told him it wouldn't work, that you need the soft heat from coal. He kept his temp at 2200 degrees and used borax. Last week I tried it myself on a small billet and the layers stuck just fine. Why do we still push the old way so hard when the new tools work?

My old post vise cracked at the jaw hinge during a heavy twisting job

It happened yesterday while I was trying to straighten a stubborn piece of 1/2 inch square stock. The cast iron just gave out with a loud snap. I had to stop everything and clamp the piece in my bench vise to finish. Anyone have a good source for a solid replacement, maybe from a specific supplier like Centaur Forge?

I used to think a coal forge was the only real way to work

For my first five years, I only used a coal forge because my teacher said it was the best. Then I moved to a small shop in Tacoma where I had to use a propane forge for space. I was shocked at how clean and even the heat was for things like blades. Now I use the gas forge for most of my work and only fire up the coal for big, weird shapes. Anyone else switch their main forge type and have it work out better?

Heard a story at the Tacoma forge-in that made me double-check my propane lines

An older smith named Carl told me about a guy in his shop who had a hose fail near the regulator last winter... the flashback arrestor was old and didn't stop it. Happened in Everett, and the guy got some nasty burns on his hands. I went home and checked all my connections that night. Has anyone else had a close call with their gas setup?